


Theater of War

by Scion_of_Olympia



Category: Kämpfer
Genre: Brutality, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow To Update, mostly canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22440580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scion_of_Olympia/pseuds/Scion_of_Olympia
Summary: The Proxy War is a cruel, uncaring game that the Moderators play, plucking random teenagers from their normal lives and thrusting them into bloody combat. One Kampfer, ill at ease with their new lot in life, decides to play along until the time was right to rebel. That is, if they can live that long.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. First Contact

Walking to school was one of Sakage's favorite past times. It calmed him to a degree that nothing else could, and as such he relished each and every moment he could. He would sometimes take so long to get to school that he would be late for classes, but he was a good student so it didn't really affect him that much. He especially needed this calm, as this morning warranted nothing but strangeness and absurdity.

**  
  
**

His stuffed animal had talked to him.

**  
  
**

Crazy right? Imagine if your stuffed animal started saying that you are now this thing called a 'Kampfer' and had to fight other Kampfers with different colored bracelets, especially the red ones. And to add the cherry on top, it told him he would be turned into a female, a girl, and would possess one of three weapons. A Schwert, which was a sword, a Gewehr, a gun, or a Zauber, a magic that formed into a multitude of elemental forms. That was what his stuffed animal did, and he doubted that many others had the same phenomenon happen to them. So naturally, like any sane person, he ignored the talking stuffed animal, much to its chagrin, and proceeded to go about the day like any other. Except now he had a blue bracelet that won't come off no matter how hard he tried to pull it off, nor did he know how he even got it in the first place.

**  
  
**

He sighed as he reached the front gate, lamenting the day to come. While he was a good student, that didn't mean he liked it. It was dull to him, classwork was easy and after he was done he was left to utter boredom while the others worked on their assignments. His friends would constantly hound him for the answers, to which he gave with little to no argument. Just another day of school. After all, what friend would he be if he didn't help his friends out? Unbeknownst to him, however, a figure on the female side of the school was observing him with a knowing glint in her eye. His day was about to get interesting.

**  
  
**

And it all started with a window shaking clap of thunder.

**  
  
**

#################################################################################################################################

**  
  
**

The clap of thunder shook Sakage out of his dozing and reminded him of where he was. And he sighed again, this time in relief instead of the usual boredom. He had glanced at the clock and it was near time for school to let out for the day, and he couldn't wait. He had a book report that was due two weeks from now to write and he already had the essay written in his head. He just needed to get it down on paper. As he got up and filed out of the classroom towards the exit, he couldn't help but notice an ominous feeling surrounding the school. Like something extremely bad was about to happen and it put him on edge. Which was a first for him. He is always relaxed in most situations. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't figure out what.

**  
  
**

As he stepped outside the gates, he quickly noticed that the surrounding area was empty of people, people he knew that were there only a few moments ago. That sent a massive red flag up in his mind. Something unnatural was at work here. People, especially a large amount of them don't suddenly just up and disappear, without making any noise as they left. Now his guard was up, muscles tensed liked a tightly wound steel coil, ready to spring into action at a moments notice. He scanned the area for any sign of danger, but couldn't find anything. Suddenly his wrist started to glow. Or rather, the bracelet around his wrist.

**  
  
**

He looked at his bracelet and stared at it in a mixture of wonder and apprehension as it began to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second. It coalesced into a blinding flash of light which enveloped Sakage, and something he could only describe as utterly wrong happened. First his hair. His head began to itch as each individual strand of hair on his head grew longer and longer until they reached the small of his back, a light sheen made his auburn hair stand out in the sunlight like a flare. Next was his muscles. He was by no means a professional bodybuilder, but he had enough to make it noticeable. His musculature lessened until he had what he could describe as a runner's build, lithe and lean, muscles barely noticeable. Then he felt something growing on his chest, or more specifically two sets of weights, getting heavier until he thought his skin would tear, and then they stopped growing. All of this happened within a few seconds, too fast for him to properly notice but enough so for him to know that something about him changed, he just wasn't sure what. 

**  
  
**

The light finally receded and he was left in the same spot it had begun. He frantically looked around, searching for the cause of this, then he began to notice his changes. His hair. His usually short cropped hair had grown to the small of his back. This startled him. He didn't remember growing out his hair, much less to this length. He idly ran his fingers through the strands as he noticed the other changes to his personage. His uniform was different, very different. It was a girl's uniform, short skirt and all. His eyes soaked in every terrifyingly new detail about himself, from the less muscled body he now sported, to his more feminine appearance which bewildered him greatly until he remembered the stuffed animal's words. While he was growing paler by the second, his hands wandered from his hair to his chest, and he froze when he felt the soft mounds on his chest that he definitely remembers not being there a few moments ago. He looks down and gasps in terror as he stares at the two new additions to his body.

**  
  
**

He had breasts, organs that belonged to the opposite gender. Something that a man shouldn't have naturally. Wait, if he had breasts, then where was his... This train of thought immediately halted on itself when his hand darted from his new additions and groped for a set of organs that should definitely be there, only to realize in abject horror that they were gone. He began to tremble. This was too much, he couldn't handle this. He wasn't supposed to be a girl. This just doesn't happen. Especially to him of all people. He has done nothing wrong, so why was he cursed with this? What sin had he committed to see himself stuck in this horrid situation?

**  
  
**

As he was trying with all his might not to burst into tears, footsteps alerted him to the fact that someone else was here. He swiftly turned to the sound. Maybe this person could help him with this, though he very much doubted this as there weren't many cases in the medical field about people spontaneously switching genders in a flash of bright light. Still, it helped drive back the wave of fear and terror welling in his chest like a bee sting, aching and thrumming with the amount of raw emotion being contained. He took in the stranger's appearance. She was of average height, around five foot six, had a thick braid of blond hair, was well muscled, wore a camouflaged plate carrier over a school uniform with an eyepatch over her left eye, and more importantly, she was holding a pistol in her right hand. 

**  
  
**

And on that right hand was a red bracelet.

**  
  
**

His heart plummeted.

**  
  
**

If what the stuffed animal, a model of stuffed animal called Lynched Lamb, said was true, and his new features and gender was proof enough for him, then Kampfers are real. He was one of them now, officially. And he wore a blue bracelet. The girl holding the pistol with a killer intent wore a red bracelet. They were supposed to fight. Only one problem with that. He had never been in a fight his entire life. Sakage had more or less flew under the radar of school bullies successfully for most of his school career, thus never learned how to defend himself or deal with bullies. In this moment he regretted not learning the former.

**  
  
**

The girl stopped a good distance away from him, studying him while holding the pistol in the air lazily. The first words out of her mouth were, "You're cute, but don't think that will save you from me." Her voice was strong, charismatic and confident. The way she said that with such familiarity, it made him think that she had done this before. And considering her appearance, she probably has.

**  
  
**

"I don't know what happened to me. I need help. I don't want to fight you," he said as he raised his hands in a placating manner. He wondered if he could call himself a "he" now. Sakage supposed that he couldn't, but that wasn't on his top list of things to figure out at the moment so he brushed it aside. "I just want to go home and fix this. This isn't me."

**  
  
**

The girl stared at him in confusion. "You don't know what you are? I thought you would by now. I sensed you when you walked into school this morning," she said before shrugging her shoulders. "Eh, not my problem. Your teammates should have informed you before sending you to the lion's den. Us Red Kampfers are killers, elites. You Blues are but sad attempts at doing what we do best. And now, I'll take out another Blue, making the world a whole lot better," she said before aiming the pistol his way.

**  
  
**

"Letting you know now. My P320 has hollow points. So if you're hit, you're dead."

**  
  
**

Sakage didn't know what a P320 was, nor a hollow point, but he knew enough that if he were hit dead center, he wouldn't see tomorrow. He saw her finger squeeze the trigger, and darted out of the way, just barely dodging the bullet that raced past him and buried itself in a nearby house. Five more shots rang out, and he dodged each one, his new body hard for him to control, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. As the last bullet was fired, he automatically brought up his right hand and pointed it at the Red Kampfer. And in his grip was a pistol he didn't know appeared. He squeezed the trigger and fired the gun at the Red Kampfer. Said Red Kampfer dodging the bullet with apparent ease. The entire motion was completely foreign to him, and yet at the same time utterly familiar, as if he had handled firearms all his life.

**  
  
**

"A fellow Gewehr. Haven't seen a Blue Gewehr in a while. Almost makes me want to spare you," she said. He looked at her with a gleam of hope in his eye, only for it to die as he dodged another bullet fired his way. He glanced at her and saw murder in her eyes. "Almost. Don't get any ideas about me letting you go. I will defeat you."

**  
  
**

He knew that he wouldn't win. Sakage knew from the moment she dodged his bullet that he was a goner. The question now, was how long he could last. He could possibly last a minute or two more, but against a skilled opponent such as this, it was wishful thinking that he might last about fifty seconds if she started to fight serious.

**  
  
**

"However," she said with a coyness nearly unbecoming of her station. Although he wouldn't comment on that. "If you were to somehow escape and hide out for a bit, I would have no choice but to say you got away. It would be a real shame if that were to happen though."

**  
  
**

He knew a subtle hint when he saw one, and wasted no time in sprinting down the street, soon fading from the Red Kampfer's sight. As this happened, another Red Kampfer appeared from behind a house. This Kampfer wielded an Egyptian Kopesh in each hand and was much taller than her companion. Standing around five foot nine, she towered over her Gewehr counterpart, and sported a long ponytail of raven black hair, with a musculature to make many men envious.

**  
  
**

"You let a Blue go? Why? You said that as long as there are Blue Kampfers in this world you would stop at nothing to kill them." she inquired with a slight harshness to her words.

**  
  
**

The shorter Kampfer shrugged. "Eh, I got bored. She was slow, didn't know what she was doing. It wasn't exciting or fun. I'll let her get more experience and training, and then I'll kill her. It isn't fun if they don't know what they are doing. At least she was trying though," she quipped. "Besides, it's been a while since I faced a Blue Gewehr. They're so rare nowadays. I want to keep this one around for a while. I missed facing my counterpart on the Blue side."

  
  


The taller girl hummed in response. It wasn't her business how Tsumaki handled her fights, only that she stayed true to the mission. Besides ensuring a Red Victory, her purpose was to guide and train her fellow Kampfers to a level that matched her superior's, and with extreme prejudice, root out any Red Kampfer that might or have already turned traitor. Thankfully for now, that task has yet to be done in any capacity. The two Kampfer walked back towards their house, content that they had an enemy to fight. Meanwhile Sakage sprinted until he/she got back to his/her house, locked the door, and promptly broke down, sobbing into his/her knees as his/her arms held them. If he/she learned anything today, was that things were only going to get worse.


	2. Plan and Prep

**Two Days Later**

**  
  
**

Sakage didn't go to school for the next few days. His grades could handle him being gone from a few classes. He was already at least two weeks ahead on coursework, so missing wasn't a big issue for him at the moment. More important things were at the forefront of his thoughts. He feared for his life. He didn't want to deal with a crazy gun wielding girl trying to kill him on a daily basis. Some time was needed to process what has happened to him, and to think about what his future might be. The Red Kampfer mentioned something about teammates explaining all this to him. Where were they? He hasn't noticed anyone else wearing a bracelet remotely similar to his. Then again, he wasn't really paying any attention to that particular detail up until two days ago when he was attacked. 

**  
  
**

This change put everything he knew into perspective. Just how long had she been there, hiding away until he came along? Sakage certainly didn't notice her beforehand. Granted that their gender separated school made noticing any female a challenge but still. He was in the library enough to take note of a fair number of females, none of them had bracelets on that matched his or the Red Kampfer's. Perhaps she didn’t frequent the library enough, or at all, for him to notice. In hindsight, he should have paid more attention.

**  
  
**

He, or more accurately she, was sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, trying to calm down from the terror inducing memories of two days ago. Having not been able to change out of the new form, Sakage has resigned to hide in her room until something new happened or she returned to her normal form. The only thing keeping her company was the stuffed animal Lynched Lamb, which has remained silent since he left home the day he was attacked. She didn't feel like talking to it at the moment, and thankfully it had stayed silent. Maybe learning about her form through conventional means would calm her down. Sakage got off of the bed and moved to the computer she kept in her room. She mainly used it for research when lengthy papers were assigned, and the occasional binge session of her favorite anime every now and then but told no one. She would be mortified if anyone found out she liked anime. She would be called...an otaku. Granted there were a few otakus at school, and they seemed friendly enough but she liked her circle of friends she has at the moment so kept her liking of anime hidden.

**  
  
**

She summoned her weapon and took it in. It was a medium sized pistol, although she never held or seen a firearm before she guessed at its size in relation to others. It was heavy, or she felt like it was supposed to be, it was as light as a feather in her hands. She looked at the branding and serial number engraved onto the metal and looked it up on her computer, making sure to use a mode that didn't record her browsing history. She knew that if she were to suddenly start looking up firearms and the like, it would look suspicious enough for the police. She didn't want to deal with the authorities at the moment, despite the thought that maybe they could help. She knew that nobody could help her in this situation. She couldn't go to the Red Kampfer because they were sworn enemies at this point. There weren't any Blues that she knew of that could help, and as far as she knew she was on her own.

**  
  
**

The pistol she could summon was a Browning High Powered handgun that fired a 9mm round. Apparently it was a high quality firearm. Now that she knew a little bit about herself in the area of her weapon, it eased the mounting wave of emotions building in her mind. Only slightly. She turned towards the stuffed animal with reluctance. As much as she despised it, she might have to interact with it to gain some understanding as to what is happening. With a sigh, she moved from her computer to the dresser that the stuffed animal was sitting on top of and took it in her hands, looking at it. Waiting for a response.

**  
  
**

"Geez. I knew you were weird but just outright staring at me is a new level," a voice said.

**  
  
**

She looked around in reflex, finding no one before returning her gaze to the stuffed toy. "Yeah, yah dingus. We're the only two people in the room and since you didn't speak it has to be me. I can literally see the thought process in your mind," it said in a somewhat mocking tone.

**  
  
**

She had half a mind to tear it a new one before stopping herself. She had to find out what was happening and right now, this insolent toy was the best source of information she would have on hand so she resolved to put up with its inevitable sarcasm and mocking.

**  
  
**

"Ok. First question. What is going on? And why haven't I changed back yet?"

**  
  
**

"And rude to boot. I'm starting to think that the Moderators were wrong to send me to find you. You Blues are supposed to be kind and crap. Good fighters. Though I suspect that you haven't had any form of fighting experience before two days ago correct?"

**  
  
**

Good fighters huh? The Red Kampfer said that Blues were but a pale imitation of what Reds are. Elite Killers. Granted she could have been lying but she didn't see what she had to gain from lying at the moment. She absently nodded at the toy's question as she was busy thinking.

**  
  
**

"Well then, we are screwed as a faction in this area. If you are the best chance the Blues got in this region, we might as well call it a done deal."

**  
  
**

She glanced at the toy sharply. "Why is that?"

**  
  
**

"Because there aren't that many Blue Kampfers in this area anymore. Ever since this new Red Kampfer came along, the Blues have been dropping like flies. I was sent to find a suitable candidate to balance out the situation but if you are of any indication of the talent pool in this area we are screwed."

**  
  
**

She frowned. Ok, inadvertently being called pathetic was beyond what she was willing to put up with today. She shook it violently despite its protests. "Answer my questions, and I'll stop," she said.

**  
  
**

"Ok Ok jeez! I will!" it said, breathing a relieved sigh when she stopped. "Now. To start from the beginning. You have been chosen to fight in a proxy war by the Moderators, who want to end the conflict as quickly and cleanly as possible. They chose Earth for the battle ground and choose people at random to represent each side of the conflict. Red for one side, Blue for the other. You represent the Blue Kampfers, who are meant to fight the Red Kampfers," it said, pausing to take a breath. "Currently, the Proxy War is going smoothly, with regions throughout the world host to an even amount of Red and Blue Kampfers. This region however is severely off balanced in terms of kampfer ratio. There are a regular amount of Red Kampfers, but a horrendously low amount of Blue kampfers. They are practically extinct in this area, save for you."

**  
  
**

This sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. The only Blue Kampfer? Her thoughts rapidly began to construct scenarios where she was violently murdered by the Red Kampfers in various ways, but stopped when the toy began to speak.

**  
  
**

"This imbalance has been caused by a certain Red Kampfer we have yet been able to identify definitively. The Red Kampfer is an experienced fighter, much more so than your average Kampfer is supposed to be. She's a veteran of countless battles, has killed hundreds of Blue Kampfers, and trains those under her to a skill level that is near hers. The point is, is that the Red Kampfers are out of balance and are curb stomping the Blue Kampfers in this area, and we, more specifically you, are to balance out this situation. As to why you haven't been able to change back, I don't really know," it said, quickly raising its stuffed arms over its head and cowering slightly when she raised a fist into the air. "But I have two theories! One is that since this is your first transformation it will take a bit before you change back. The other theory is that there is a kampfer nearby, triggering your battle state. You won't be able to change back until either you defeat the kampfer or the kampfer leaves the area."

**  
  
**

Lowering her fist, she set the stuffed animal down on the shelf, the toy sighing in relief and muttering about how violent kampfers can be, and began to think.

**  
  
**

“Can the bracelet be taken off?”

**  
  
**

“No. It stays on until the Proxy War is finished, or you die. Sorry,” Lynched Lamb shrugged with remorse.

**  
  
**

Sakage stopped for a moment, remembering the reason she had a panic attack two days ago. She could have died. If she weren’t careful and skilled enough, she would be killed off by those Red Kampfers in short order. She had to make sure that she could defend herself. This raised an important question in her mind.

**  
  
**

“How strong are Kampfers on average?”

**  
  
**

This caused Lynched Lamb to raise its hand to its chin, humming in thought.

**  
  
**

“Well, your average Kampfer is many orders of strength above your typical baseline human. A Kampfer is faster, more resilient, has reflexes bordering on near instantaneous, and is extremely skilled in combat, and that is the tip of the iceberg.You machines of war are given the greatest of gifts. Potential. You lot have the potential to grow in speed, strength, intellect and skill to a level that baseline humans can only dream of, super human, they call it,” it explained.

**  
  
**

“Although, there haven’t been many observed cases of this happening. Usually, constant battle and conflict with other Kampfers shortens the lifespan of a Kampfer drastically. A normal person lives, on average, to their mid 70’s and early 80’s, but a Kampfer, in ideal conditions, will only live for about eight years after being selected due to the nature of the Proxy War. On average, a Kampfer’s lifespan is around two years at most, maybe two and a half or three if they are more skilled than their counterparts.”

**  
  
**

“T-thank you for the info,” Sakage shuddered.

**  
  
**

This information, while it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, was important nonetheless. After all, knowing the average lifespan of a Kampfer will help determine her own chances. If they were pitiful before, now they were nonexistent. She doubted that she could find the time to train and learn about fighting other people before the Red Kampfers find where she lives and kill her.

**  
  
**

“Don’t sweat it kiddo, I got your back.”

**  
  
**

She turned to the stuffed toy with questioning eyes.

**  
  
**

“I may not be able to help you out in a fight, but I can help you with pretty much everything else. In fact, I would recommend that you find a place far from the city, perhaps in the countryside, and practice your skills there,” he suggested, then began to muse.

**  
  
**

“Despite being chosen to fight a war on someone else’s behalf, more often than not against their will, most of the time the candidates are zealous in finishing the fight, and are imbued with innate skills and experience with their given weapon. Every now and then, however, there are candidates that are observed to not possess the skills and combat prowess of their comrades. These are rare, and rarer still are their chances of surviving to their expected lifespan. Unfortunately, you happen to be one of those chosen few.”

**  
  
**

Sakage shambled over to her bed, flopped onto it, burying her face into her pillow, and screamed, the muffled, shrill sound painful to the lamb’’s ears. What pained its non-existent heart was the sobbing that followed. It was a horrid sound, almost akin to wailing in volume, conveying to the toy her utter hopelessness and despair. A semblance of pity welled up within the stuffed animal’s chest, and acted upon it.

**  
  
  
**

He jumped from his place on the dresser onto the soft bed and walked over to the crying Kampfer, placing its hand on her back and rubbing small, soothing circles to try and calm her down.

**  
  
**

“Hey, why don’t we focus on something else? After all, there is much more to this whole thing than fighting, and those things kinda need to be addressed in order for this whole thing to run smoothly.”

**  
  
**

Her crying began to subside, but sniffling and hiccups still remained. Progress, of sorts.

**  
  
**

“There is the issue of extended periods of time in your battle form. I mean, you can’t stay home from school every time you transform, so you will have to adapt to being like this despite your misgivings. Not to mention, you might need to buy some….feminine products for when you are in that form for longer than a few hours, to make things easier and comfortable for you.”

**  
  
**

Sakage lifted her face from the pillow, and if the lamb could, he would have cringed at the sight. 

**  
  
**

“What...what do you mean?”

**  
  
**

“Well, there is the fact that you own nothing feminine in the slightest, as far as I can tell, and have no garments fit for a girl in school, especially around your age,” the toy hinted.

**  
  
**

What was the toy talking about? Garments for girls my age? Sakage was dumbfounded at the question. Why would she need...it soon became apparent what the plush animal was implying, and she blushed.

**  
  
**

“I see you understand my meaning. Now, since you still have the whole day ahead of you, why don’t you go shopping for the things that you need?”

**  
  
**

Sakage crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the left. “I don’t know what girls need as far as clothing goes, much less how to choose something fashionable from a girl’s point of view. Not to mention...I am too embarrassed to buy girl undergarments,” she protested.

**  
  
**

“You will have to figure it out sometime, sooner or later, so why not get it done now, while it’s not that big of an issue? You don’t want to have a wardrobe malfunction during a fight, or even worse, when you are out in public, do you?”

**  
  
**

She moved to protest, but stopped herself after thinking about it for a second. She conceded his point with a loud huff, and moved to get ready. Undressing from her school uniform, she put on an outfit that, while acceptable when he was male, was somewhat baggy. She shrugged at this, and grabbed a belt from the closet, tightening it around her waist, noting with some trepidation that she nearly had to buckle it near the first punch hole of the belt. She looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed.

**  
  
**

“It won’t help if I worry about it too much,” she said to herself. “Just ignore it, and you’ll be fine.”

**  
  
**

“That’s the spirit! If you need any support or encouragement, I can come along if you would like,” the toy offered.

**  
  
**

The thought of the toy seeing her as she tries on clothes immediately brought a flush to her face.

**  
  
**

“No no no no, you don’t have to do that. I think that I’ll be good on my own.”

**  
  
**

The toy shrugged.

**  
  
**

“Eh, whatever works for you. I’ll be here, guarding the place from dust mites and the like,” it responded, hopping off the bed and diving under it. She stared at where he was a few moments ago, slightly giggling when she heard fight noises and sound effects coming from under the bed.

**  
  
**

She grabbed her wallet, house keys, and all that she would need for the day’s outing, and steeled her resolve.

**  
  
**

“Today will be an easy day.”

  
  


It would be anything but.


	3. Social Call

Sakage wondered if she could be more embarrassed than she was now. She stood in front of a rack of hangers, and on those hangers….were underwear. There were variants of all shapes, colors, types and styles, too many for her to even try to count. Some were, in her mind, little more than strings of fabric, while others looked like they could pass as short boxers for men. Some were stereotypical hot pink, others pure white and coal black, and the rest were a mixture of browns and tans. There were even a few that had **leopard** **print** , and she immediately vowed in her mind to never touch those as long as she lived.

  
  


She sighed. If she were to just dwell on how embarrassing this all was, she’d never leave, so resolved to push her embarrassment to the back of her mind and actually accomplish the task at hand.

  
  


“Can I help you with anything?”

  
  


She spun towards the voice, a sound of surprise escaping her, and somewhat calmed down. It was a store associate, name tag and all, regarding her with a look of curiosity and attention. She inwardly perked up, grateful that a store clerk approached her. She doubted that she could ask someone on her own volition for help with her situation without becoming a stuttering, blushing, blubbering mess.

  
  


“Y-Yes actually. I need help finding the right….” she trailed off, hoping the clerk picks up on the underlying cue.

  
  


Unfortunately, this clerk was oblivious to social cues, as she just stared blankly at Sakage with a questioning look.

  
  


She sighed in embarrassment and shame.

  
  


“I-I need help picking out p-panties and some bras, I-” she explained before she was cut off.

  
  


“Outgrew your old sets? I completely understand. I had to get a few new pairs myself because my old ones were getting a bit too tight on me when I was in school,” she said sympathetically, giving Sakage a once over. “You know your old size?”

  
  


“N-No, I don’t. I’m sorry,” Sakage replied with a bit of remorse.

  
  


“It’s not gonna be an easy sale today,” the clerk muttered to herself. “Ok, so we are going to find you the right fit and style, and when you leave today, you will not regret your purchase!” she proclaimed, much to Sakage’s bemusement.

  
  


That bemusement quickly faded as time passed, and multiple pairs of each item were picked out, tested, and put back on the rack for various reasons. At least three hours had passed since she entered the store, and she couldn’t be bothered with trying on another set, the clerk picking out matching sets and handing them over the changing room door with near abandon. She already had at least six pairs! How many did she need?!

  
  


“Ok, I think I’ve found enough for today!” she said to the clerk on the other side of the door.

  
  


“You sure? I saw a few that would look cute on you and-”

  
  


“NO,” Sakage nearly shouted, “No no, sorry for shouting, but thank you though.”

  
  


The clerk had a habit of going on sprees of activity when she saw something of interest unless Sakage kept her on track and focused. It was why she spent such a long time in the store trying on so many items. She had originally wanted to buy a few pairs and leave, her embarrassment driving her to spend as little time as possible, but the clerk’s quirk had ground that idea to dust, and she had to weather the storm of items handed over the changing room door at regular intervals.

  
  


“Ok, you get dressed and I’ll meet you at the counter!” the clerk said with a peppiness that, in her mind, no actual human being had.

  
  


Sakage sighed in relief when she heard the clerk leave and put on her clothes, gathering up the sets of undergarments she had chosen in a bundle in her arms. She opened the door and, with her jaw set, made her way to the counter. As she was making her way to the counter, she looked around the store. At first, it was too embarrassing for her to even consider being here for an extended period of time. It still was, to an extent, but she didn’t want to melt into the floor and her face wasn’t a ruby red. She saw young girls with their mothers, faces as red as hers was when she first entered the store, sheepishly making their rounds of the store, occasionally picking out a few items here and there. Then there where the polar opposites, women who looked completely at ease with carrying around multiple pairs of undergarments

  
  


She finally reached the counter, the clerk waiting for her with an expectant look, and made her purchase. As she was walking out of the store, a had suddenly grabbed her wrist, and the voice that followed made her heart jump into her throat.

  
  


“Really? I catch you here of all places? This easily? You have to work on your situational awareness.”

  
  


She really didn’t want to deal with this right now. It was bad enough that she had to deal with the sheer embarrassment of actually buying girl undergarments, but now she had to contend with a crazy, gun wielding maniac. The ancestors really had it out for her, didn’t they? Perhaps they were offended that she was turned into a girl, or maybe they were cursing her for her cowardice. Regardless, this just wasn’t her day.

  
  


She turned and lo and behold, it was the girl from last time, her blonde hair tied into the same braid as before, with the same eye-patch covering her left eye, the same glaringly red bracelet, but instead of a school uniform, she now wore a baggy hoodie, complete with blue jeans, which, upon closer inspection, concealed her camouflage bulletproof vest. She was filled with dread and increasing levels of acceptance. The acceptance of a person who knew they were going to die, and had made some sort of peace with it.

  
  


“Jeez, one look at me and you look like your family keeled over right in front of you. As you can see, there are still people here, so I’m not here to fight you. This is a social call,” the girl explained. “Or, more specifically, this is your wake up call to get your ass in gear and start training. Don't think I didn't notice you not a school for the past two days. I can usually find you in the co-ed library, but you weren't there, so I had to assume you were ditching class for some reason, and what better reason than me.”

  
  


Sakage looked around, and to her amazement, there were still people in the vicinity, going about their daily business, utterly unaware of the sheer danger they were walking past. As the girl was talking, she detected a hint of annoyance and, incredulously, worry, but she dismissed such thoughts right away. Who would worry about the person they were trying to kill? It makes no sense, and she disregarded such things as nonsense.

  
  


“How do you expect me to train by myself? I don’t know how to even fight, much less do it well enough for you or your friends to not outright murder me,” she complained.

  
  


The red Kampfer gave her a look. “Your teammates still haven’t shown up? Damn, they suck. They should have at least contacted you by now, if not outright began to cooperate with you in some capacity. If not, they are really dumb.”

  
  


A look of conflict washed over the Kampfer’s face, as if deliberating on a less than desirable decision, before groaning in reluctance.

  
  


“Alright, look. I’m not supposed to be anywhere near you unless it is to violently murder you, but I like you, and I want to keep you around for a while. So what I’m going to do is train you myself, make sure you’re up to par, and you are not going to blab a word of this to **anyone** , understood?”

  
  


The way her voice took a hardened edge made her jump in fright, and at the girl’s continued staring, she nodded to make sure her point was understood completely, which in turn made the girl smirk in amusement, and if she was really looking, a small hint of relief.

  
  


“Alright cutie, I’ll see you next week for our first ever training session, so make sure you stretch beforehand. I don’t want to hear you bitch and complain about cramps and sore muscles,” the girl said.

  
  


The red Kampfer began to walk away, and Sakage called out to her once she realized something.

  
  


“I haven’t given you my address!”

  
  


The girl turned back, and smiled. “I’ll find you, don’t worry,” she said, before smirking in amusement. "Black is your color." Then she was off, blending into the crowds with the ease of a master, leaving Sakage an embarrassed, sputtering mess, silently cursing the girl for ever existing.

  
  


She huffed in annoyance and exasperation. This wasn’t her day.


	4. Setting the Foundations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose to modify the lore a bit for the sake of the story. Forgive me, but it made more sense narratively and for the character in question. I will limit the lore changing to small bits a pieces in regards to the MC, but not to the extent that they are unrecognizable to the standard Kampfer. On to the story!

She had gone home with her purchases, eyes darting around in search of her counterpart in every alleyway, every corner, every rooftop, making sure that she wasn’t being followed. The red Kampfer had said that she would find her, and that thought alone sent shivers down her spine. Had she always been in danger? Had she always been in their cross hairs, kept around and toyed with like a feline toying with a mouse before savagely killing it? She shook her head, dismissing such thoughts before they became too poignant to ignore. To dwell on such things would only stress her unnecessarily, and right now, she didn’t have any energy to spare to think about them.

  
  


She walked through her bedroom’s doorway, putting away her purchases in her closet, her stuffed companion wiggling out from under the bed to gander at her choices.

  
  


“Oh, you like darker colors huh?”

  
  


A blush dusted her cheeks, and she hurriedly put away the rest of her things before turning to the toy lamb. She stared at the plush toy, who patiently awaited her response.

  
  


“I have something to tell you.”

  
  


“Ok...what is it?”

  
  


“I met a red Kampfer today.”

  
  


The lamb went still, a parody of fear as it processed the information.

  
  


“I take it that since you are still breathing that the encounter was non-violent? If not, then you managed to fight them off, or at the very least escaped before they could corner you?”

  
  


“It was non-violent,” she began, a sigh of relief left the plush animal. “She was my counterpart, a Gewehr, and she wanted to talk to me.”

  
  


“What did she want to talk about?”

  
  


“She said that she wanted to train me.”

  
  


A second of silence passed, the lamb staring in disbelief at the Blue Kampfer, unsure of whether he had heard her right.

  
  


“I’m sorry, I’m a bit hard of hearing down here. What did you just say?”

  
  


A grimace of discomfort flitted across her face, but she mustered her courage.

  
  


“I said that she wanted to train me. She said that she wanted to keep me around for a while, and that she liked me.”

  
  


The lamb, in astonishment and befuddlement, began to pace the length of the bed on the floor, muttering to itself as to what the words meant. It was unheard of, for as long as he had been around, he had never heard of Kampfers of the two sides talking amicably, let alone agreeing to work together in any capacity. What did this mean?

  
  


“It could be a trap,” he mused. “You had an encounter with them three days ago, and they let you go. Now, they want you to meet them in a remote location. This is a trap in all but name. I suggest that you don’t go to this _‘training session’_ ,” he remarked, emphasis placed on the last two words to highlight his doubt.

  
  


“Like I have a choice now! She said that she would find me. Which means that she knows where I live, or will sooner rather than later. I don’t think that she would take kindly to me denying her offer. Once she knows where I am, I am at her mercy at all times,” she retorted, her stress levels rising. Anger, frustration, fear, and resignation warred within her, and it only added to her troubles.

  
  


A huff of frustration.

  
  


“You didn’t tell me that! Now we gotta move somewhere else. You might have to live as a drifter for a while.”

  
  


"Are you serious?! Why do I have to abandon my home?! Why is this even an option?!" she asked incredulously.

  
  


"Its only temporary. You need to lose her interest, make her forget about you, draw her focus onto someone else," it argued.

  
  


“Who should she focus on!?” she exclaimed, appalled that this was even on the table of discussion. It horrified her that the toy thought that that was an actual option, n.

  
  


“Anyone! So long as it isn’t you!”

  
  


“It shouldn’t be that way!” she screamed, her voice full of emotion.

  
  


It wasn’t fair. Why should she have to deal with the possibility of dying every day simply because of the color of her bracelet? She had lived a normal life and was going to pursue higher education, opening the door to a world of possibilities. Now, not of her own choice, that future, that life and all its possibilities was taken from her, stolen by nameless, faceless demagogues, people she will never even meet. She would never have kids,experience the uncertain world of parenthood, would never watch them grow, watch them struggle, excel, love, laugh, and so much more. She would never meet her grandchildren, never get to tell them stories of her youth and teach them lessons, secretly spoiling them when their parents weren't looking, and cherish every memory she made with them. Now, she had to fight people she never met, who did her no wrong, and kill them, simply because she was chosen for something she never signed up for. She didn’t want any of this. The fear, the paranoia, the thought in the back of her mind that she could die at any second, and it not being in a hospital bed at an old age, surrounded by family and friends, nearly made her cry with how unfair it was. She wasn't even aware that she was speaking aloud, unintentionally venting all the injustices she had suffered to the lamb, who silently listened with a heavy heart.

  
  


A beat of silence, Sakage breathing heavily, wanting to just disappear and become someone else, if just for a moment.

  
  


"I know this isn't fair. It never was."

  
  


Her eyes snapped to her fluffy companion, realizing her internal rant had become known to the stuffed toy. Before she could brush it aside as nothing, just stress, the toy continued to speak.

  
  


"You know, this system was designed as a peaceful solution to a conflict so far away that it wouldn't reach us for a million years if it spilled over beyond their territory, and yet, throughout my time on this planet, I have seen more death, suffering, and destruction than less," it lamented, its voice becoming thickened with emotion, twinges of grief upon every word.

  
  


"I've had others before you," She, for a moment, wondered what he meant, before the meaning became clear, much to her horror. "Five in total, all of them blue, all of them dead within a year. I tried so hard to keep them alive. They were practically babies!” it sobbed, putting its face in its hands. “No matter what advice I gave, no matter how long I stayed by their side, they would die, and its all my fault. Their blood is on my hands, I don't want you to suffer the same fate,” it finished, its voice despondent and thick with emotion.

  
  


Sakage stared at her companion in astonishment and empathy. This information made her change her opinion of the lamb. Before, it somewhat befuddled her that the lamb knew so much, and had such sound advice. Now she knew why, and it only made the situation more tragic. She bent down, grabbing the toy and bringing it into a tight hug.

  
  


“I can’t imagine what you are feeling now, but I promise that I will try my best to survive this. I will be the last one.”

  
  


She knew that that wasn’t a promise she could keep with any certainty, but she felt the need to make it all the same, anything to bring her new companion some comfort. She felt the small toy lean into the hug, returning it as best as it could.

  
  


“I’ll hold you to that,” it threatened, the words having no actual heat behind them.

  
  


A tranquil silence filled the room, both comforting each other the best they could. The peace was broken when harsh, rapid knocks echoed throughout the house, making both of them jump. She shared a glance with the plushie, the blank, unchanging face of the lamb gave her a small boost of confidence, despite it being unable to make expressions. She put the plushie down, promising it that she would be back, safe and sound, before going downstairs towards the front door, summoning her pistol unconsciously as her adrenaline spiked, her senses on high alert.

  
  


She held the pistol behind her as she opened the door, coming face to face with her red counterpart, an eyebrow raised in question, making the eye patch somewhat contort with the motion. Her eye darted to the arm held slightly behind her, and subtly smirked in approval.

  
  


“Good job, you are showing improvement,” she praised, but then frowned. “But you should have waited until I identified myself before opening the door.”

  
  


Sakage slightly relaxed, her pistol disappearing unconsciously.

  
  


“Who else knows where I live that you know of, that's a Kampfer?”

  
  


A second of silence, then the Red Kampfer shrugged in admission.

  
  


“Eh, you got me on that. But still, it is best to exercise caution. If I can find you, my colleagues eventually will.”

  
  


The mere mention of other Red Kampfers had her anxiety spike, a deep, shuddering breath only slightly relaxing her nerves. The Red Kampfer looked on with impassive stoicism, but underneath her aloof expression, she understood the whirlwind of emotions this new Kampfer was experiencing. She herself had gone through such a storm, but fortunately, she had a support network to help her cope, many sisters in arms who understood her panic, her frustrations, fear, and the rest of the spectrum of emotions that came with being a Kampfer. Her counterpart, however, seemed to have no one. She didn’t like that, not one bit, and if her teammates ever showed up, she would give them a smacking around for leaving her counterpart alone and in the dark for so long. She should already be on par with some of the lesser skilled members of her group. Instead, here she was, risking her skin to train somebody who, for all intents and purposes, was her enemy. She pondered on the possibility of her defecting to their side, but brushed it aside. Her teammates, and the boss for that matter, wouldn’t accept a turncoat. No matter how cute, how innocent, and pure they were.

  
  


She subtly took in her surroundings, watching for any movement indicative of Kampfers, watching the rooftops, windows, alleyways, stretching her senses to the limit to detect anything suspicious, but found nothing. It paid to be attentive. She already picked out a vantage point to watch her counterpart from if she ever decided to learn more about her, the idea becoming more and more appealing as she thought about it, but the thought wasn’t at the forefront. She had been a victim of many an ambush in her youth, her inexperience showing, as she walked the suburban streets at night, looking for a fight, and now that she has matured, her fiery spirit still there, just tempered with experience, she wouldn’t make the same mistakes other, more cocksure Kampfers would make. Assured that she wasn't followed, and that no enemy Kampfers were lying in wait to ambush her, she turned and grabbed the handle of a large, red cooler, the ice inside making noise, drawing Sakage's attention.

  
  


"Well, now that I know where you live, I'll be coming by to pick you up for training sessions. You ready?"

  
  


A shaky nod answered her question. The Red Kampfer turned from the doorway, cooler in hand, walking to the edge of the property before turning back to the house, noticing with some annoyance and curiosity that her counterpart wasn't following. 

  
  


"You coming? Or do I have to drag you?"

  
  


Do I...need to have one of those"? Sakage asked, gesturing to the cooler.

  
  


A smirk graced the Red Kampfer's face.

  
  


"Nah, not today. I thought you might not be fully prepped, so I went ahead and got us some drinks so that you don't dehydrate and die while we're training. Now hurry up! We're wasting daylight and I got a lot to teach you!"

  
  


The order spurred Sakage into action, and after locking the door behind her, she followed in her counterpart's footsteps. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the Red Kampfer was wearing her hoodie, but her bottoms were dark grey leggings, modest and form fitting, and she wore black athletic shoes. She thought of her own outfit, jeans, t-shirt, a baggy hoodie, and a pair of sneakers, and wondered if she should have asked to change into something more appropriate. She looked up, caught the side glance of her counterpart, and she blushed, looking down at her feet in embarrassment. She probably thought that she was a pervert now.

  
  


"I don't mind if you look, but at least try to not let me catch you."

  
  


"No!" she said hurriedly. "Its just...should I have changed? My outfit isn't exactly what is expected when you workout."

  
  


The Kampfer stopped, turned around, and inspected her, taking notice of the outfit. With an annoyed look, she gestured for Sakage to go change, her foot beginning to tap at a slow, steady pace. Sakage would learn to fear the gesture above all else.

  
  


**Athletic Track**

  
  


Sakage was breathing heavily as she passed her counterpart, bending over, putting her hands on her knees. She wondered, for a moment, if the Red Kampfer would take her home if she were to pass out, or if she would leave her there for the vultures. A ‘tsk’ caught her attention, and she looked at her counterpart, who stared at her with a disapproving expression.

  
  


“13:13 for three laps? Are you that out of shape?”

  
  


“Wha-what do you mean?” she wheezed, her voice heavy with exhaustion. “That is the qualifying standard for the Olympics 5000 meter run!”

  
  


“That is the baseline for Kampfers. You need to be faster if you want any chance of lasting longer than a few months against actual threats. Take a small break, then we do it again.”

  
  


A groan of misery met the Red Kampfer, and she subtly sighed in annoyance and, if she was being honest with herself, fondness. She had missed this, training new bloods, getting them into shape. It was therapeutic. She liked being fit, she liked being healthy, and she was more than willing to help others in that endeavor. Unfortunately, her standards were often remarked upon for being ‘too exacting’ to quote. She dismissed such comments every time. If she wasn’t holding the standard, then none would, and the overall quality of Kampfer would drop to unacceptable levels, and the boss would have to come in and set things straight. 

  
  


She shuddered at the thought, remembering the last time that happened. They couldn’t stand for weeks on end without their legs turning to jelly, hobbling around like old people, their bodies one massive sore muscle, hurting with every twitch. She resolved to never let that happen again, and as much as everyone else complained about her standards, she knew they were secretly glad that it was her, and not the boss, making them do the workouts. She had a soul, and moral decency. The boss, however, was uncaring, cold, and calculating, knowing what needed to be done and having the will to make it happen, regardless of the feelings of those involved.

  
  


She moved towards the red cooler, opening it and grabbing two bottles of water, tossing one Sakage’s way, the tired Kampfer yelping when it smacked the side of her head, quickly forgetting the mild burst of pain as she grabbed it. She opened her own bottle and took a small sip, pulling out her phone and noting with some surprise that it was twenty nine degrees outside ( **84.2 f** ). She shrugged her shoulders, feeling the plate carrier shift around, the familiar weight of the ceramic plate and kevlar a comforting thing. It was her security blanket, a constant reminder that she had a fighting chance if she was ambushed or ambushing her opponent. It had saved her on more than one occasion, and now she would go nowhere without it, always wearing her hoodie to cover it from prying eyes. It had been a gift from the boss upon her official induction as a Red Kampfer, when she made her first kill, a memory she tended not to think about as it brought up uncomfortable emotions she wasn’t willing to deal with.

  
  


She scrolled through her apps, pressing on the browser and opening up a tab, searching for plate carriers, subtly casting glances at her charge, estimating her size, choosing a camouflage pattern similar to her own, making subsequent ceramic plate and soft armor insert purchases. The boss gave her a bank account and a monthly allowance to use as she saw fit, on account of her skill and performance, and she would use it every so often, not enough to arouse suspicion. This would be no different.

  
  


“Hey, how many more times are we doing this?”

  
  


She looked up from her phone, glancing at Sakage, noting the flushed cheeks and labored breath. She checked the time. 6:46 pm. They’ve been out here since 11:05 am. The Blue Kampfer wasn’t anywhere near where she wanted her to be, but it was a good start for a first day. She snorted, knowing how sore she would be the next day.

  
  


“We’ll do one more set, then we’ll be done for the day.”

  
  


A groan of relief. She smirked.

  
  


“This time, however, I’m gonna be running with you, and you are to keep up with me the entire time I’m on the track. If you don’t we’ll keep doing laps until you either pass out, or you keep up. It’s your choice.”

  
  


A look of dread crossed Sakage’s face at the conditional statement. Her stamina was nearly spent, and despite the Red Kampfer running five sets of laps, all under five minutes, she looked full of energy. The Red Kampfer set her phone next to the cooler, set down her bottle of water, and moved back onto the track, looking at Sakage expectantly. She heaved herself to her feet, her limbs akin to heavy logs, and joined her counterpart on the track.

  
  


“Remember, keep up with me. Ready...GO!”

  
  


Before Sakage could even start, the Red Kampfer was off like lightning, legs pumping, propelling her forwards, a blur of grey and black. She had no chance, but she tried to keep up, her legs like jelly as they pushed her forwards, her feet pounding into the synthetic rubber of the track. All her energy was focused on catching up to her counterpart, who was widening the gap with every second. The Red Kampfer’s speed astounded her, not knowing nor understanding how a person could move so quickly. It had her thinking, even as her chest heaved with effort to supply oxygen to her tired, burning muscles. She remembered how Lynched Lamb had said that Kampfers had the potential to become something beyond what has been seen, superhuman, more so than they were already. If her counterpart was an example of how beyond baseline a Kampfer could be, what were the capabilities of the Red Kampfer killing all of the Blue Kampfers? Was all this even worth it? Would she even measure up? As she was thinking about this terrifying prospect, she didn’t notice her counterpart glancing back at her, noting that Sakage was falling behind.

  
  


“Hey! You want to run more laps? Catch up!”

  
  


Snapped out of her thoughts, she refocused her efforts, pushing her muscles even further, the burning increasing in intensity. However, despite this, the gap only increased, the prowess of her counterpart a seemingly insurmountable thing. A twinge of fear, fear that she couldn’t measure up, that she would fail, made her pace falter just for a second, not unnoticed by the Red Kampfer.

  
  


She closed her eyes, putting every ounce of concentration and willpower into pushing herself to go faster, forcing her legs to propel her forward, arms pumping, muscles burning, chest heaving for air. She pushed every thought, every doubt, every inconsequential thing to the side, focusing on catching up to her counterpart. As she moved, she thought that she could hear her counterpart’s feet as they struck the synthetic rubber, but dismissed it. She was too far away for her to hear that. But, much to her surprise, the sound got louder, and louder, and eventually she was able to hear the even breathing of the red Kampfer. She opened her eyes, noting the small smile of approval on her counterpart’s face.

  
  


“Good shit, but catching up to me was the easy part, keeping pace will test you. Now come on, we got three laps!”

  
  


The track seemed to never end, the length increasing with every step she took so that she would never leave, but her counterpart seemed to enjoy it, a smile on her face, encouraging her when she flagged and praising her when she kept up as they completed their first lap, advising her to keep a steady pace and even out her breathing. The second lap was more of the same, but now, her limbs didn’t burn as they did when she started, and she actually felt like running, increasing her pace, much to her counterpart’s delight, which showed itself in a small smile and nodding in approval. In no time at all, they completed their final lap, and Sakage had kept up the entire time.

  
  


“You know what? I actually enjoyed myself, and I kind of want to run some more.”

  
  


The Red Kampfer chuckled and turned to face her.

  
  


“Really? What happened to ‘how many more times are we gonna do this?’ I heard earlier?” she asked with a smirk.

  
  


“That was before, but now I feel good, and I feel like I can go for another set of laps.”

  
  


“While I enjoy the enthusiasm, especially on day one, I wouldn’t recommend it. What you are experiencing is a runner’s high,” she explained.

  
  


Sakage looked at her questioningly. 

  
  


“Runner’s High? What’s that?”

  
  


“It’s when the body begins to release endorphins from physical activity. Your body was built for moving around, running, exercising, and your brain is rewarding you for doing so with feel good juices. It also helps relieve stress, and it also is said in some people to reduce feelings of pain. Did your muscles stop burning or stopped burning as much as they were earlier?” she asked, nodding when Sakage nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, you’re experiencing a runner’s high. It’s a good thing,” she assured as she began to gather the used water bottles, throwing them into a nearby waste bin.

  
  


Sakage looked at her with a question look, wondering how she knew so much about this particular subject.

  
  


As if seeming to hear her thoughts, the Red Kampfer began to speak.

  
  


“I am a fitness nut, per my colleagues, and I want to be a physical therapist and nutritionist, as well as a life coach, so I take a lot of physical education classes and do my own research at home.”

  
  


Hearing her voice her plans for later on in life had her thinking about her own, or the lack thereof of plans. All of her dreams and efforts were seemingly for nothing when she eventually figured out what being a Kampfer meant, and the sacrifices the deal entailed. She couldn’t see beyond her seemingly inevitable demise, an impassable wall that stalled out anything she could accomplish or hope to achieve. Yet, her counterpart was talking as if she had no care in the world for what she was, and what that entailed; the fighting, the killing, and ending with her eventual death. It didn’t seem to bother her, and an inkling of jealousy and anger brewed within her, so small that she barely noticed it taking root.

  
  


“How do you do it?”

  
  


“Hmm?”

  
  


“Think about the future. How can you deal with being a Kampfer, and think about something you’ll probably never see? I mean, its pointless right?”

  
  


A scoff met her question.

  
  


“And? I’m not gonna stop doing the things I like just because I’m a Kampfer.”

  
  


Sakage stared at her like she was now getting a clearer image of who was standing before her, and in her silence, the Red Kampfer continued.

  
  


“Being pessimistic isn’t who I am. So what if I’m a biological war machine forced to fight for a side in a conflict that has nothing to do with me or anyone I know? It doesn’t mean I’m limited by what I am, and my fate,” she added, a bit morose as she spoke the last few words, but her voice hardened, taking on an energized air. “I am what I am, and I will go about my life as I see fit until I kick the bucket! I won’t consign myself to atrophy and only do what I was selected for. I have interests beyond my lot in life and by Kami I will pursue them!” she finished with pride.

  
  


Her confidence, her energy, it was inspiring to Sakage, shaking her out of her morase of self-pity. It made sense, in the way that some disabled people lived out their lives despite their disability. In her mind, the Red Kampfer was becoming a symbol of what she wanted to aspire to. An ideal, a figure of strength and confidence, despite the damnation that awaited her. Her opposite in a sense, more than the simple color designation of their faction. She was strong, charismatic, downright flirty! Compared to her own mild mannered demeanor, they couldn’t be more contrasting to one another. Despite nearly dying by the Red Kampfer’s actions, she felt more of a kinship with the Kampfer than her unseen teammates, despite the sheer difference in personality.

  
  


The Red Kampfer, unknowing to the thoughts of her Blue counterpart, grabbed the cooler and made to leave the track.

  
  


“Alright, we’re done for the day. I’ll walk you home.”

  
  


She hummed in acceptance and followed behind her counterpart.

  
  


“Tomorrow, we’ll go over actually fighting other Kampfers in our role as Gewehre. I’d advise taking a pencil and pen, or pencil, for taking notes if you learn that way. If not, watch me closely and listen when I go over subjects.”

  
  


Sakage made note of this, and once she began to think about it, dread began to sink its fangs into her heart. If today was an example of how her counterpart set her standards, she could only guess what the standards she had for something as important as fighting. She had no idea what waited for her.


	5. Other Side of the Coin

Watsuji Maya couldn't seem to run fast enough. No matter how many turns she took, how many rooftops she vaulted, her pursuers always seemed to catch up, shadowing her every move, always on the periphery, barely out of sight, but very much within killing distance.

She turned, lightning crackling up her arms, and unleashed her power, aiming at her foes. Arcs of deadly energy zipped towards the three shrouded figures, at speeds no human could hope to match, but it didn’t connect, the three ominous shadows darting out of the way just in time, the arcs of lightning shearing away a portion of the house it struck. 

She leaned back, seeing the incoming blade aiming for her neck, feeling the air of the weapon as it passed. She uppercut her opponent, her punch not packing enough power to do any real damage, just enough to distract and delay. She dashed away, narrowly dodging the spray of lead that followed, rushing through alleyways, holding no pattern to manipulate, hoping to avoid being cornered. She risked a glance back, looking for the three red bracelets that promised her a painful, painful death should they catch her, but saw nothing. For a heartbeat, she thought that she had given them the slip, and her hopes soared.

They were dashed just as fast when a body slammed into her with the force of a runaway freight train, sending her flying through a window, crashing onto a small dining table. She tried to get up and sprint out of the building, but her body wouldn't cooperate, and she looked down, seeing a large, jagged shard of glass embedded within her thigh. She stared at it for a moment, wondering why she couldn't feel anything, then the pain came, rushing through her like a swollen river overrunning its banks during a flood, setting her nerves on fire. Small streams of blood streaked onto the table, coloring the mahogany wood a dull red. It was bad, but not debilitating in the slightest. She had survived worse.

She sucked in a breath, gritted her teeth, and pushed herself off of the table and onto her feet, knowing that she could deal with her wound once she was safe, but the sound of a round clambering stopped her in her tracks. She looked around, finding the owner staring her down through the sights of a M14, the weapon gleaming with deadly intent in the moonlight, the red bracelet glaringly bright against their dark coverings. A Gewehr. She wore a black plate carrier with soft armor inserts, with a dark grey uniform underneath, with grey bottoms and black combat boots completing the outfit. She had an air of an accomplished marksman, her stance conveying that she was very experienced in what she did. Her eyes, a rich brown, were pointed, sharp but dead in the same instance, no joy, love or hatred, just the look of a soldier doing their duty, and nothing more.

To the left of the marksman was a girl carrying a yatagan in one hand, sporting a small welt from where she had punched her, a look of anger upon her countenance. A Schwert. She wore soft armor for the most part, coloring herself in a camouflage mixture that gave her the look of a special forces member. She had the air of an accomplished killer, an expert close quarters combatant that killed all who stood in her path with no hesitation with a musculature to match.

Both paled in comparison to the girl who stood behind them. She was well built, muscular even compared to the girl holding the yatagan, her arms crossed over her armored front, a plate carrier with soft inserts, fully kitted out. Her authority was felt even if she didn't deign to show it, a tower of power that couldn’t be challenged by anything less than an equal, and there were few, if any, who were such an equal. She was a professional killer, who had seen much in her career, and few, if any instances or situations could surprise her, or elicit a response beyond annoyance. Bright green eyes looked at her with a detachment that unnerved her, as if she had forcibly endured all that hell had to offer, and came out without anything resembling a normal person, just for the sake of efficiency. 

She looked at all three, waiting for the moment they killed her. She knew that there was no escape, not from these three, and that anything beyond accepting your death with dignity was superfluous struggling at best, and she hated that. She didn’t ask for all of this, but she did all that she could, and it wasn’t enough. Against these three, it would never be enough. After a minute's worth of silence she couldn't take it anymore.

"Well? What are you waiting for? End this now and save us the suspense!" she shouted, a mixture of grief, rage and helplessness making her voice louder than normal, tears running down her face.

A sneer came from the melee oriented kampfer, who pointed her yatagan at the wounded blue.

"Let me end it. Its existence offends me."

Energy raced across her arms at the insult, and she had half a mind to strike out and actually wound the red kampfer, a last hurrah to be remembered by, but the lead kampfer halted such actions. 

"Remember to reign in your temper. Its a weakness they could exploit in future situations."

The admonishment was light, if the voice was anything to go by, but it had the effect of a full dressing down upon the melee kampfer, who stood ramrod straight.

"Yes sir. I'll do better."

A small hum of acknowledgement came from the lead kampfer, who walked forward until she stood in front of the blue kampfer, studying her, as if she were an interesting bobble or trinket. Now that the kampfer was closer, she could see that there was a tattoo of a parachute with feathered angel wings on either side, with the letters JSOG above it located on her forearm.

A sigh came from the lead kampfer, one of annoyance, as if she were asked to do a task that she had done a thousand times before, and hated every time she did it.

“You offered some challenge, but you are but another youth, untested, ill-equipped for what you were forced to do, and that is the tragedy of all of this. However, my task is to kill every single blue kampfer I find, so that all of this may come to an end, and I always complete a task, no matter how it shreds my humanity into nothing.

“If you have any last words or requests, now is the time,” she finished, muscled arms uncrossing from her front.

She knew she was to die. From the moment they caught her, from the moment she received the bracelet and that damned stuffed animal, her death warrant was signed for her. Yet, when presented with the moment that she was to die, she felt a deep sadness instead of panic, knowing that it was time.

“I would like to make a phone call to my parents, to let them know that I love them,” she began, her voice holding an emotional tremor that made her sound pathetic and weak, but in this instance, she couldn’t care less. “One last thing. When you kill me, please make it quick and painless.”

The lead kampfer saw nothing wrong with the requests and granted them with a small nod.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and called her mother, knowing the outcome before she even dialed the number. It reached her mother’s voicemail, and the monotone, robotic voice asking her to leave a message nearly broke her, but she gritted her teeth.

“H-hey mama, it’s m-me. I-I know you’re probably busy right now, but I wanted to say that I….I love you, so much. You’ve done so much for me, and I couldn’t repay you back if I tried for a hundred years. I love you so much, mama. Bye…”

She dropped the phone, not even bothering to put it back in her pocket. It wouldn’t be useful to anyone after today. She began to slightly shake, the sobs building within her wracking her frame as if she were a leaf in a storm. She heard a slight scoff, but ignored it when the lead kampfer spoke once more.

“Turn around if you wish for your preferred death. It will be quick and painless, as promised.”

Well, it was time. She did as she was told, facing the other way, her shadow seemed diminutive compared to the approaching form of the lead kampfer. She wondered how she was to die. Would she be shot? The Gewehr was too far away, and the lead kampfer was too close, and didn’t seem to carry anything of note that she could see. Her speculations were cut short when she felt a coldness upon her neck. A small piece of cloth, covered in something, was being rubbed on her skin. She lost feeling in that area, and she moved to ask, but her question was answered before it left her mouth.

“Benzocaine, for what comes next.”

Before she could even react, a needle appeared, and the lead kampfer injected the concoction it contained into her neck. All within a second. And she didn't feel a thing. The kampfer moved closer, as if to catch her, and just in time as she felt her body give out, as if she were a puppet who had their strings cut, slumping into the arms of the lead kampfer. She felt so tired, her eyes were closing on their own, no matter how hard she struggled to keep them open, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe by the second. She weakly grasped the lead kampfer's hand, holding onto it with all the strength she had left, and then everything went dark.

Sasaki Katsumi felt the body go slack in her arms, felt the hand go limp and slide from her own, and knew that the blue kampfer was dead. She gently laid the body on the floor, backing away to her comrades.

"That spineless wench should have faced her death with honor and bravery, not crying her eyes out like a coward. Lethal injection was too good for her blood," the Schwert muttered, spitting on the floor in disgust.

"She was only 15, Misako. Like the boss said, she wasn't even close to being ready for all of this, and she had earned her death, despite being as weak as she was, she fought with vigor and valor. These blues are getting weaker and weaker every time they pop up, which I hope means the war will be over soon," the Gewehr said.

Katsumi knew differently and shook her head at her comrade’s words.

"This war will only be over when we neutralize every last blue kampfer in the world, and we have a lot of work to do before that happens," she spoke, turning to the Schwert, who wilted under her harsh, unyielding gaze. "Extra training sessions will be on your schedule for this month. This is the second time you missed when you should have hit your mark. That is unacceptable. I will personally be holding these sessions, and will reforge what cracks I may have missed."

Misako knew all too well what those words meant, and dreaded what was to come. Days upon days of endless training, drills and practice until she either got it right or passed out from exhaustion, and if she did pass out, Katsumi would wait for her to come to and make her do it all over again.

With that matter settled, Katsumi turned, catching the last few moments of the girl being erased, a corona of light encapsulated her body, and after a bright flare, it was gone. The memory of that girl was removed from everyone and everything that knew of her, records and all. It was standard procedure. Not even the mother who birthed her would know she had a daughter. No one besides them would know she even existed.

They soon left, dashing through the streets and alleyways bathed in the low hanging moonlight. Another successful operation.


End file.
